ORIGIN

Seller Submission: 1957 Chrysler Imperial Crown Southampton

Says the seller: “Impressive, true survivor example of Chrysler’s flagship luxury cruiser. California car since new, fresh out of a 40 year hibernation, sealed in a Southern California garage. Now back out in the sun with new tires, rebuilt brakes and fuel system.”

1957 Chrysler Imperial Crown Southampton

Location:

Aguanga California

VIN:

C5712234

Chassis mileage:

36,523

Engine type:

392 Hemi with 36,523 miles

How long have you had the car? 6 months

Describe the body condition: Excellent, all original paint, no rust…dreamy

Describe the mechanical condition: Runs very smooth and drives well!

Included documentation: Photos of discovery and recovery as well as the process of bring it back to life. Original California title, Original dealer sales brochure.

What makes this car special? All original and low miles as well as a very special model. Virgil Exner’s finest work.

76 Comments

My folks had a ’57 Imperial identical to this only with white over turquois (Green) with white interior. They got rid of it in the ’70s. I have been looking for one ever since. What is the cost of this one or how can I acquire one now? Just curious.

you are welcome to drive the car anytime you wish, but for your information the car is already here at Dammam, Saudi Arabia owned by Mr.Mansour Al-Binali a friend of mine. if you are welling to pay your airline tickets all the way to Saudi Arabia you are most welcome to drive it one day for free.

I saw this car in person the day before it was listed. It’s awesome and truly worthy of “Bring a Trailer.”. I was there for other reasons, and I wish I studied it a bit more carefully. The seller is a great guy who took a lot of time to deal with the business I was there to transact.

Hah, let me piss of all you “flipper haters” once and for all, and get it over with.

I process estate sales from time to time and get cars for FREE. That’s ZERO cost, sports fans. Sometimes classics, sometimes not.

I immediately sell them all, doing nothing to enhance or improve them. Why? Because I’m in the right place at the right time, spending money to scout for inventory, build relationships, buy insurances, hire vendors , pay taxes, etc – in other words – capitalism.

So just stop the baby like whining about “opportunists” and get off your ass and get some opportunity of your own.

I just looked at the title and it is indeed titled as an Imperial, not a Chrysler. I had thought for certain it said Chrysler on there… (bows down before the greatness of the Mopar gurus). I have been corrected and will now return to the dark safe spot under my desk.

Yes, there was a “base” model known only as IM-1. Crown and LeBaron were above that. At first, LeBaron was to be sold only as a sedan, which came in single colors only, and with conservative cloth inside. It was supposed to be a really upscale, tasteful car. With the popularity of hardtops, a 4 door hardtop Lebaron was added.

This was the first car to have curved side glass. The sedan had brushed finish window frames that really gave the greenhouse a nice, light look. Alot of sedans were “dowdy” in that era– compared to the hardtops–but not so with the Imperials.

One thing not shown here is how fabulous the instrument panel looks at night–a combination of white, green, and purple light that reminds me of the way the Strip in Vegas used to look.

These cars had a lot of neat touches–like the knock-off hub inspired wheel centers, or the little “fin” on the fuel filler door.

Some years ago, I too had a ’57 Imperial Crown. Mine was a gorgeous two-door model (even better lines if that’s possible), cream in color w/ a maroon roof panel, the 392 hemi in mine had chrome Firepower valve covers but just one lone carburetor.

For the record, the Crown was not quite the top of the Imperial line – that honored spot was reserved for the Imperial LeBaron.

@ TC Jatko “Can an American drive a Chrysler Imperial from Paris to Moscow without being arrested? Art Buchwald” I guess, if there is such a thing, which THIS CAR is not ! Somebody else posted* and rightfully so ! pointed out here, that THIS IS AN ‘”I M P E R I A L” (IMPERIAL Crown 4door Hardtop sedan) not a Chrysler Imperial. Although a Chrysler-‘family’ product, Imperial had it’s own Stand alone Brand Name ! *That post showed up on my e-mail, but never made it onto here, really strange…..

@ Bob I only figured this out (and most everyone else…maybe )when I clicked on the photo. It doesn’t say in the text, but it’s on E-bay and passed $20,600

Tom McCahill wrote some great reviews of these cars. The front, torsion bar suspension, long leaf springs in the back, and low cg made a hug difference.

Power steering on these was good. And they had good brakes (for the time).

On most Imperials I’ve seeon, the carpet would go over the center braces and you wouldn’t see the vinyl pads, or notice any intrusion for that. They really don’t interfere with legroom and apparently contribute to the stiffness that is needed in the car. They had a very heavy boxed frame that was very strong.

High bidder takes it…no reserve at this point. Let the bidders set the pace…Im scared…and excited at the same time! Yee Haw…

By the way…I have taken some underside photos if anyone serious wants to see them. It is truly dry underneath…really nice. You could probably get under there and de-grease and scrub brush a bit and make it look even more amazing if that is your thing…I did the top side…that was enough!

@Reg Sorry Bud, count me for another vote aginn you. Some cars look great in 4doors , maybe even better than the 2 doors.. ’59 Caddie Jag XJ6/12 Audi A4, many Bimmers ( not ’57 Chevy) , and this here Imperial looks , i think, well , rather imperial with her 4 doors. It’s certainly not my color, but what a great ship.. And great “explanation” Fingers. Good luck.! Another beauty back into the light.

I thought those seats looked like they were redone. It seemed to me that the simple, flat long sewn parts didn’t look Imperial worthy. But they’re correct. I went sleuthing on the interwebs and they are definitely correct.

57 Cadillacs and Lincolns come in a distance 2nd & 3rd in the looks dept. when compared to the 57 Imperial.I remember seeing these around as new or fairly new cars and have always admired them. Congrats to the lucky new owner. Enjoy your Imperial.

I’ve been an Imperial fan for a while. In some cars, I do think there’s a big difference b/t the 2-door and 4-door; but not this one. Looks great either way.

Howard Kerr, isn’t the Ghia only in reference to the limousine models? I thought the Crown was the top level for the ‘regular’ cars, although in some model years there were Crown sub-levels (I think only in the 2-door and convertible models), and starting in 1957 I think, the Le Baron trim level was the top level, and they did make Le Baron 4-doors.

I just checked out the ebay ad and this thing is impressive. It was at 20k just now; that would definitely be a deal. These cars would be have to be frightfully expensive to restore. I’m thinking this one is just the way you’d want to buy a 57 Imperial; all original and in ready to cruise. When I was a kid I remember seeing a 61 imperial convertible abandoned behind the chevy dealers former lot when they relocated. The top was all tore up and the weather was ruining it. I asked someone about it and they said the owner brought in for something minor and never came back. It was nice when it arrived there. It made sad to think that such an amazing car was going to wind up in a junkyard. Which is what I guess happened to it because it eventually disappeared. These are definitely cool cars; lots of unique features and details wrapped up in a 19 foot long package. Sweet

If this car is as rust free as it appears to be, it’s one of a handful at most. The first year of the “Forward Look” was beset by horrendous rust issues, and nearly all unrestored ’57s are rusty to a greater or lesser degree.

This one looks to be pristine, and it’s a remarkable original car for that reason alone.

I used to be heavily into Imperials, had four at one time, now down to just one. There’s a pretty good support group, and they are wonderful cars to drive. About as far as you could get from a Lotus or an MG or a Lancia, but every bit as interesting and as worthy, in their own unique way.

Congrats, Fingers, on a job very well done in bringing this old girl back to life. I hope you make a few bucks in the deal.

All this whining is makin me mad. It’s a beautiful car and I’m really glad this gentleman rescued it from it’s long slumber. It truly deserves to driven and enjoyed by someone. It earned the right to that. I don’t care that he wants to sell it, I’m just glad that one more amazing automobile made it back into the light for SOMEONE to enjoy. Thanks Fingers!

The Imperials weren’t actually Chryslers from 1956 until near the end of the original run around the loan guarantee era–the Corporation dropped the Chrysler badge on them in ’56. For several years, starting in ’57, they were built in a separate plant from other ‘senior’ Chryslers. Jeff Godshall has written a number of excellent articles in Collectible Automobile on the various Imperials that really lays out the history with wonderful photos and much detail. He worked in styling at the Corp for quite a while.

Chrysler painted the latches…this car is proof of that. There are no signs of a respray in those areas at all…and there are ALWAYS signs you can see if you know what you are looking at. I’ll eat crow if I have to, but I didnt just fall off the turnip truck…I know paint and I know where to look to find overspray or blend lines and things like that.

The Goggles came with the car when I got it…and they will remain with the car (unless the buyer doesn’t want them…and I’ll put em on my dog when we go out with the sidecar rig!)

And the B52’s song rolls through my head every time I turn the key! If anyone wants to bring their jukebox money…Im up for a ride!

I have never driven a car QUITE as large as this one, but have driven many parent’s and uncle’s cars from the early ’60s. I grew up in a very rural area where bridges and roads dated back to the ’30s in many cases. Driving a car this large was no picnic. Chrysler, in particular, and GM and Ford, too equipped these cars and their “cousins”, right up into the ’70s and even the early ’80s, with power steering that offered NO road feel and brakes that either barely coped with the car’s mass or stopped it on it’s nose with the smallest pressure applied to the brake pedal. Passing on a bridge was nerve wracking and curves were approached with the utmost respect lest you corner on the door handles.

HOWEVER, I now live in a large southern U.S. city and if I could afford to run one of these “boats” I wouldn’t mind it quite so much. If not a convertible, it would have to be a hardtop like this, with working A.C.

This? Or that ’58 Lincoln Premiere from a week or two ago? The Lincoln would get my money for no other reason than it’s black paint job says “retired mobster….wannabe”.

@Fingers. Driving a boat like this is something everyone should before they push off the dock for the last time. In high school my buddy and I cut school and “borrowed” his parents Imperial and drove out to Montauk and back so that we were home when the bus from school was supposed to drop us off. It was an epic mini-adventure that I will not forget. I don’t think his dad noticed the extra mileage, and we chipped in to buy the gas. I agree with your comments above. Good luck with the sale! Mitch.

You’re obviously a knowledgeable guy, to my question earlier, did Chrysler paint over the door latches at the factory? My understanding is that they did not, if this is correct it appears the car has had a respray at some time.

Flipping…yes, I bought it and Im selling it and I might make a buck on it too. (gasp!…oh the horror!) It was something I completely stumbled on, there looking at some European stuff (which I bought and am restoring). I made no sob story or empty promises..just a cash offer and they took it. I told the seller straight up that I had no plans to keep it forever. It is not a car on my “bucket list”, Im not a Chrysler guy at all.. however I am totally honest here…I seriously love this friggin beast…it just blows me away every single time I walk in the garage! And being the guy that pulled it out of the tomb is deeply satisfying…what a high!! That is one of my favorite things ever! Beats any drug out there hands down…and the first time they fire back to life? (wets self) Amazing!

I cant keep em all, even though I would love to. I’ve put a lot of time in it, I’ve given it my love and attention, I’ve had some fun with it and I will choke up a bit when it goes because it is just so freeking cool and it has been so fun to find it, drag it out, revive it and drive it. But it needs to go to someone that has always dreamed of having one and I need the space and the funds to get on with the projects that are “me”…and I can fit two of those in the same garage spot!

Im proud to have owned it and will always remember it ,and the experience of being behind the wheel has changed me…Ive always been a foreign car guy through and through…me in a Yank Tank? Never! But now there is some American metal out there in the garage…not just the Chrysler… my tastes are expanding, Im open to everything now. I WANT EM ALL! But I can only have em one or two at a time…if I was some rich dude with airplane hangars to fill and money falling out of my tookus…I would keep this for sure. But I aint…and I need the dough and Im ready to fall in love with the “next one”…

Every single car on BaT is something that is being sold because the owners dont want them any more or they need the money or whatever. To beef about the motivation to buy or sell is silly. We all love cars, we all want em, and we all dream about driving every one that pops up here. But none of us can really have and keep them all. And that is how it should be.

I couldn’t agree more, and it looks like that’s the case here…..having photographed the ‘rescue’, …yap, yap , yap…

At least he invested a lot of time , effort and work into ‘reviving’ it. Bonus points on that. Sure looks like he did not want this car (in the sense that he was looking for one just like it), but opportunity presented itself….. But give us a break and spare us these drama stories.

BTW , are you the Doug Milota who sold me a Ford Taunus wagon some 10+ years ago ??

I always hate to hear about cars like this that have a great history,to be bought by someone who only wants to flip it for the money.I hope he didn’t give the seller some heart-wrenching tale about he would take good care of it,& keep it forever. If that’s the case,I really hope that he spends the money on a really cool British/Europeon car.

My Uncle had one of these – in Black,without the band on the rear of the roof,& without the “spare tire” on the trunklid.I’ll always remember the rear “sofa” seat. My Uncle passed away years ago,but he still had the car in Lodi,CA the last time I talked to him.

Has this car been repainted? Who would order a tan car with grey interior? Besides back in 1957 two tones were all the rage. I am betting the top of the roof was a different color and probably the rest of the car as well.

As to originality, did the factory paint over the door latches? If not, I’ d say it’s had a respray. Those B pillar braces seriously intrude on rear foot room don’t they. A triumph of style over function and Its all the better for that.

There is no doubt that many Americans have no clue about driving around in one of these big boats. I have been fortunate to have driven a scant few and though we all know technology related to handling is non-existent, there is nothing like the experience of piloting a barge like this on a several hour trip on an American highway in all sorts of traffic. Just you and a mile long bench seat surrounded by acres of glass and sheet metal. What a thrill! Especially when the brakes feel like a a boat anchor with way to much slack on the line. Enjoy!

Interesting looking car….compared to the ’58 Lincoln featured here recently?

For those interested in “random” specs: car is 226.3 inches long, weighs nearly 5,000 lbs. and cost a “measly” $5,700=-. Southampton 4 door hardtops made up nearly half of the 1957 Crown Imperials sold. Series included a Southampton 2 door hardtop and a Crown 4 door sedan and convertible. And like the ’58 Lincoln featured here recently, this is NOT the top of the range Imperial for 1957…you could get an Imperial with design by Ghia in 1957, tho that car sold for nearly $16,000 back in 1957.

…..I’m sure we have seen this car before…..as a counterpoint to another one that was on here but not quite as nice…I’m sure I’ve seen a couple of these pictures before….Hard to understand the cleaning connect and the disconnect a very short time later….I’m just not wired that way….I have my cars because I want to own and enjoy them…..

Wow, I have to say wow. I have one of these, no where near this shape. Mine is the same color, except I have a white top, and it is a four door Crown as well.. I also have a fabric and leather interior, not all leather like this one. Mine has a few rust holes, some dents…it’s a long term project. TOO long term, I have had it in the back of my garage since 1995, and as hard as this is to believe, I only sat in it once, when it was backed into my garage. If you saw the condition and the scariness of the interior, you would know why.

However, mine has factory air, power windows, power seat, rear window defogger, power antenna…very cool, when I put it together someday.

From 1955-75 there was no such thing as a “Chrysler Imperial”. Imperial was its own separate marque, just like Dodge and Plymouth, and Chrysler was the parent company. You wouldn’t say “General Motors Cadillac” or “Ford Lincoln” either.